Fence post setting and pulling rig



Oct. 14, 1952 J. w. JORDAN 2,613,912

FENCE POST SETTING AND PULLING RIG Filed July 24, 1950 2 swans-awn 1 40 I James W. Jordan 9 6 INVENTOR.

Oct. 14, 1952 J. w. JORDAN 2,613,912

- FENCE POST SETTING AND PULLING RIG Filed July 24, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 James W Jordan INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 14, 1952 UNITED STATE-S1 PATENT TOFFICE,

FENCE POST SETTING AND PULLING RIG James W. Jordan, Tallulah, La., assignor of fifty per cent to L. W. Burgess, Tallulah, La.

Application July 24, 1950, Serial No. 175,518 (01. 254-29) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fence post setters and pullers.

The primary object of this invention is to adapt the blade of a conventional bulldozer for both the setting and pulling of fence posts without requiring any dismantling of the bulldozer or permanent modification thereof.

Another important object of this invention closely allied to the preceding object is to provide a simple and inexpensive attachment that further component in use for pulling fence posts; 7 Figure is a perspective view of the attach- I fment forming the subject matter" of the present invention; and Figure 6 is a fragmentary View of the attach.- mentpartially shown in section.

Reference is now made more specificallyto the accompanying drawings, wherein like numay be efiicaciously attached to and removed I from a bulldozer blade, and which will utilize the means provided for elevating and lowering the blade for pulling or driving fence posts.

Other important objects of thisinvention is to provide an attachment capable of realizing Still other important features of the present invention, the last to be specifically enumerated herein, resides in the extreme simplicity, the

ruggedness, and the'efliciency of the attachment for the purposes intended.

These, together with various ancillaryfeae turesandobjects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, arev attained by the present .in--

vention, a preferred embodiment of whichhas been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is aside elevational view of a bulldozer with the present invention attached thereto and in position for driving a fence post;-

' Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the machine shown in Figural," I

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the present invention showing thesame attached to a bulldozer 'blade,'also in section, and showing the same elevated for commencing the driving of a fencelpost withthe lowered position of the same being shown indotted outline; v

Figure 4 is a view similarto'l igure 3, and in which the attachment is shown as including a 'merals designate similar parts throughout the various views, and in which the numeral ll! designates a bulldozer generally having an en gine l2, operators seat I4, driving track 16,, and

a blade l8 carried by push bars 20 that are pivoted at their rear ends at 22 for vertical swingingmovement.

The bulldozer It includes means for elevating and depressing the push bars 29 and the bulldozerblade l8, which means include a bellcrank having arms'24 and 26 pivoted. at 28 to the frame of the bulldozer ID, the bulldozer carrying a double-acting hydraulic 'jacl'z' 38 that is connected to the arm 26, and a link 32 ponnecting'the arm 24 to the push barsQZ'U. It will be understood that a bellcrank and a hydraulic jack are provided for each of the push bars 20, and that suitable means are provided, not shown, whereby the hydraulic jacks 30 may be operated from the operators seat i4to act in unison or independently, as desired.

Theattachment formingthe subject matter of the present invention is designated generally at 34 and includes a pair of I-beam uprights 36 and an I-beam driving head 38 weldedto thefront sides of the uprights 36 at their upper ends, the driving head 38 projecting laterally beyond the uprights '35 for a'purpose to be presently explained.

. As clearly shown in Figures 1 and 5, a pair of brace rods 49 are provided for stabilizing the driving head 38 in relation to the uprights 36 which connect the forward face of the driving head 33 to the lowermost front portion of the uprights 36, each of thebracerods 4O lying; in the same longitudinal vertical planeof the upright to which it is attached.

As clearly shown in Figures land 5 apairof arms formed of I-beams 42 are welded to the lower ends of the uprights 36' and extend in spaced parallel relation upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom ends of the uprights 35, the connections between the arms 42 and the uprights 36 being reinforced bya pair of plates 44 underlying thelowermost extremities of the uprights 3B andwelded to the uprights and to the forward I forcibly construction, the arms 48 having their ends adjacent the uprightstfi pivoted on bolts 50 extending between the rearmost portion of pairs of ears 52 secured to the opposite sides of the uprights 36,

It will be understood that the ears 52 are welded to the uprights 36 and that if :desired spacing blocks, not shown, may be received between the ears 52 and the web portions of the uprights 36.

In order to secure the attachment 36 'to the bulldozer blade I 8, each of the arms 48. has welded to its undersurface intermediate its ends a pair of spaced cleats 54, and the rear extremity of each of the arms 42 and 48 has secured thereto a short length of chain 56, as clearly shown in Figurex5. As best shown in Figure 4, in securing the attachment 8'4 tothe bulldozer blade l8, the lower edge of the bulldozer blade I8 is received within the apex of the angle formed between the 'uprights 36 and the arms 42, and the upper edge of the bulldozer blade W8 "is received between the cleats '54 carried by the arms 48, the arms 43 being swung downwardly upon their pivots 50 to securely clamp the blade 18 between the arms 42 and -48 and the rearmost extremities of the arms {42 and 48 are secured by means of load binders 58 connecting the chain links 56.

Fora purpose presently to appear, it will be seen'in Figure 6 that the driving head'38 which includes flanges 60 connected by a web 62 is providedwith a pair'of spaced ribs 64 secured to the underside of the web "62 transverse to the longitudinal-dimension of the driving head 38.

I The' manner of attaching the attachment 54 toth'ebulldozer blade and the method of its use will be readily understood. In attaching the attachment, the frame is placed upon the'ground witht'he'arms 42 fiat onthe surface of -the ground, and with the chain links 56 disconnected and the arms' tfi swung upwardly. The bulldozer is then driven toward the attachment and, the bulldozer blade 8 lowered until the lower edge thereof rests in the apex of the angle formed by the arms 42 and the uprights 36, whereupon the operator of the bulldozer may dismount and swing the arms 4:8-downward1y until the upper edge of the bulldozer is received between the cleats 54'an'd the load binder secured. It will be understood that the attachment may be efficaciously removed by reversing the'above procedure.

' Asshown in Figure 3, a post 66 may bedriven by placing the lower end against the ground and placingthe upper end-thereof between the flanges '60 and the ribs 64 of the driving head'38 with the bulldozer blade raised, and then operating the hydraulic jacks to force lowering movement of the bulldozer blade, whereupon the driving-head 38 forces the post 66'into the ground, it being noted that-sufficient force may be exerted against the post 66 that in soil of "normal consistency the lower end of the post 5'6 need not necessarily be pointed. In raising thepost 66 from the ground, attention is directed to figure-'4, wherein it will be seen that a chain BS is'provided having its upper end deta'chalbly secured about the driving head '3B,-as'at I0, and-the lower end of which chain '68 may be looped-about the pcistfifi, as at '12. Aswill'be understood, the chain '68 is secured to the post 56 whenthe bulldozer 4 blade is lowered, whereupon raising the bulldozer blade by the use of the jacks 30, the post 66 may be raised to the position shown in Figure 4.

It will be appreciated that by the means provided for securing the attachment to the bulldozer blade that the attachment may be secured centrally to the bulldozer blade as shown in Fig- .rurez, or if desired the attachment may be secured "a djacent either one of 'the' ends of the bulldozer blade with equa1 facility, in which latter posi- --tion one of the ends of the'driving head 38 Will project laterally beyond the sides of the bulldozer and itsblade. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that in either setting or pulling fence posts the bulldozer l0 may be driven either forwardly or rearwardly-along the fence line with the driving head 38 of the attachment projecting laterally to engage'the fence post. Of course, in driving the fence post the bulldozer may be backed down directly along the fence line when the attachment is centrally secured to the bulldozer blade, for in such operation none of the upstanding fence posts will be disposed in the path of the bulldozer,

Since, from the foregoing, the construction and advantages of invention are readily apparent, further description is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact embodiment shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the claimed as new is:

l. A machine for setting fence posts "comprising -a bulldozer includinga blade and means for elevating and lowering the blade, a post driving assembly comprising a frame including a pair of spaced upright members, a driving head connecting said members adjacent their upper ends, a pair of vertically spaced upper and lower bars extending rearwardly of each of said upright members, one of said bars of each .pair thereof being pivotally'connected to the upright member for swinging movement towards .the other bar'and releasably clamping the blade therebetween and securing means-releasably connecting each upper and lower bar adjacent their rearmost extremities.

' 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the uppenba'rs have a pair of spaced cleats receiving the upper edge of the blade therebetween to prevent relative sliding movement between=the upper bars and the blade, the lower edge of the blade being received in the apices of the angles formed by the lower bars and the upright members. g

3. 'A fence post setting attachment foruse with bulldozers of the type having a blade and elevating means therefor, comprising a frame including a horizontally disposed driving head, verticallyspaced pairs of upper and lower bars secured to the frame and extending rearwardly therefrom for receiving a bulldozer blade therebetween, 'the .uppenb'ars of said pairs of bars being pivoted to said" frame for swinging movement towards the lower bars, and securing means for releasably holding the bars in clamping engagement with "a bulldozer blade.

4. Thecombination of claim 3 including means invention, what is carried by the driving head for engaging a fence post to withdraw the latter from the soil upon lifting the attachment.

'5. A fence post setting attachment mounted for vertical swinging movement comprising a pair of spaced upright members, a driving head connecting the members adjacent their upper ends, vertically spaced pairs of upper and lower bars secured to and extending rearwardly of the upright members, the upper bars of said pairs of bars being pivotally connected to the upright members for swinging towards the lower pair of bars, means for connecting the rear ends of the upper bars to the rear ends of the lower bars for releasably and adjustably holding the upper bars against swinging movement away from the lower bars, means for raising and lowering the said attachment.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said I lower bars define acute angles with the upright members opening towards the upper bars, said upper bars each having a pair of spaced cleats on its under side, whereby a bulldozer blade may have its upper edge retained by the cleats and its lower edge retained in the apices of the acute angles.

JAMES W. JORDAN.

I REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,244,899 Smith June 10, 1941 2,322,432 Forte June 22, 1943 2,402,393 Griffith June 18, 1946 2,479,748 Lassila Aug. 23, 1949 2,482,950 Toftey Sept. 2'7, 1949 2,508,284 Oliver May 16, 1950 

